Floor panel

ABSTRACT

Described is a floor panel that is provided with a tread surface layer, a core containing at least two core layers made of a wood material and elements of a connector device, whereby these elements are arranged on at least two opposing sides. In order to equip such a floor panel with improved noise insulation in a simple and effective manner, it is proposed that the core layers be arranged so that they lie directly one on the other and that they be glued to each other.

The invention relates to a floor panel of the type explained in thegeneric term of claim 1.

Such a floor panel is known from WO03/016655. The known floor panel isexecuted in such a way as to provide impact noise insulation and isgiven a layer of a noise-insulation material made, for example, of corkor a synthetic material that is integrated into the structure of thefloor panel at some location. While an arrangement directly below thetread surface layer is preferred, the layer of the noise-insulationmaterial can also be arranged between two core layers of wood or a woodmaterial, particularly an MDF and/or HDF board. This arrangement betweentwo core layers is only chosen, however, if noise-insulation materialthat cannot be provided directly with the tread surface layer is to beused. The noise-insulation material is provided in a wound-up form andis integrated into the structure during the manufacture of the floorpanel, which nevertheless requires additional effort, however.

A further floor panel known from EP 1 264 946 consists of a hard,wear-resistant and decorative tread surface layer and a core made of awood material. The core consists of a single board made of a woodmaterial, which can be, for example, solid wood or a wood fibre materialof the known type, in other words, for example, a particle board, an MDFboard or an HDF board. The known floor panel is provided with elementsof a connector device, which is arranged on at least two opposing sides.In the case of the known floor panel, the core consists of only onelayer, and the elements of the connector device are incorporated intothe layer of the core. The known floor panel furthermore contains atleast one layer made of a noise-insulation material. This layer is,however, provided outside of the core. The noise-insulation layerconsists of a noise-insulation material, particularly one made ofplastic.

The object of the invention is to provide an effective noise-insulatedfloor panel that can be easily manufactured.

This object is solved by means of the invention indicated in claim 1.

It has become apparent that a noise-insulation material does notnecessarily have to be used for effective noise insulation. As a resultof the multi-layered structure of the core with the adhesive arrangedbetween the layers, the noise conduction is effectively interrupted, sothat good noise insulation results in a simple manner, even withoutnoise-insulation material arranged between the layers.

Advantageous further developments of the invention can be derived fromthe dependent claims.

A further improvement in the noise insulation, particularly the impactnoise insulation, results if the elements of the connector device arearranged on only one of the core layers, which is preferably that corelayer that is not provided with the tread surface layer. In this way,the core layers are essentially decoupled from one another with respectto noise propagation between adjacent panels, which further improves thenoise insulation. It is also possible, however, to provide the elementsof the connector device on all of the layers or on a separate layer.

The manufacture of the floor panel according to the invention isparticularly simple if two subpanels are glued to each other, wherebyone of the subpanels is provided with the tread surface layer and theother subpanel is provided with the elements of the connector device.

Nevertheless, a further layer made of a material developed especiallyfor noise insulation can additionally be provided, whereby this materialcan be arranged at any suitable location, e.g., at the locations belowthe tread surface layer described in EP 1 264 946, directly as thebottommost support layer or above the bottommost support layer.

The invention is particularly well-suited for floor panels with aconnector device formed for mechanical interlocking. A large number ofsuch mechanically interlocking, glue-free connector devices are known.

The invention is furthermore particularly well-suited for floor panelsthat are provided with the elements of the connector device on more thantwo opposing sides.

The noise insulation is further improved by the use of an adhesive thatis, in the adhesive state, more elastic than are the core layers.

One embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail in thefollowing, using the drawings. Shown are:

FIG. 1 A section of a floor panel according to the invention in aschematic representation and

FIG. 2 The exploded and magnified detail A from FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a schematic, perspective representation of a floor panel 1according to the invention, whereby this floor panel 1 has theconventional geometric form in the embodiment shown, meaning that it isessentially formed with a longish, rectangular, board-like shape and hastwo pairs of opposing sides, whereby only one pair of the opposing sides2 a, 2 b, which are parallel to one another, is shown and the sides ofthe second pair run at a right angle to these.

At least two opposing sides (in the depicted embodiment the two parallellong sides 2 a, 2 b) are provided with corresponding positive andnegative elements 3 a, 3 b (indicated only schematically) of a lockingmechanism 3.

The locking mechanism can be of the customary mechanically interlockingtype, which interlocks adjacent panels together in both a horizontal andpreferably also in a vertical level, so that a connection betweenadjacent panels is possible even without the use of glue, whereby thesepanels are held securely in this position relative to each other. Suchconnector devices are known in the state of the art and contain positiveand negative elements that bring about the interlocking by means ofbeing attached diagonally and then bent away, possibly with a limitedhorizontal movement and/or by means of snapping in the horizontaldirection with the negative and positive elements of adjacent panels.

A particularly preferred locking mechanism is, for example, known fromWO94/26999, whose disclosure content is hereby included by means ofreference. The locking mechanism described therein additionally containsa locking strip, in addition to the positive and negative elements,whereby this locking strip is arranged on the underside of the panel,extending beyond one of the long sides or cross-sides. The free side ofthis locking strip is provided with an additional interlocking orsnap-on element, which is formed in such a way that it can engage in acorresponding groove which extends along the other long side of thepanel, so that adjacent panels are likewise connected to one another bymeans of the locking strip. A further locking mechanism that is suitablefor the invention under consideration can be derived, for example, fromWO97/47834. This locking mechanism contains snap-on or snap-inprotuberances that are integrated into the elements, as well as assignedgrooves.

The floor panel 1 contains a tread surface layer 4. The tread surfacelayer 4 is located on the upper side of the panel 1 and has decorativecharacteristics and protective characteristics, as well ascharacteristics that increase the stability. Suitable materials for atread surface layer are known and do not have to be explained in detail.For example, a suitable tread surface layer 4 consists of a laminate ofa decorative layer and a wear-resistant protective layer.

The tread surface layer 4 is connected to a core 6 by means of knownmeasures, preferably by means of compressing and possibly via anadditional noise-insulation layer 5. The core 6 consists of a woodmaterial, e.g., of solid wood or a wood fibre material from a very widerange of developments, for example, a particle board, however preferablyan MDF board or an HDF board. The core 6 is that portion of the floorpanel 1 that makes the prominent contribution towards the totalthickness D of the floor panel 1 and that ensures the torsionalstiffness and/or flexural strength of the floor panel 1. For thisreason, the core 6 is that layer of a floor panel 1 with the greatestthickness d.

According to the invention, the core 6 consists of a multiple number ofhorizontal core layers, whereby two core layers 6 a and 6 b are providedin the depicted embodiment. The core layers 6 a, 6 b can, as shown inthe depicted embodiment, have the same thickness d1, d2, but can alsohave different thicknesses. The two core layers 6 a, 6 b preferably aremade of the same wood material, but can also be made of different woodmaterials.

The total thickness D can, as is customary for floor panels, be roughly7 to 11 mm, but can also be thicker, for example, 11 to 15 mm. Thethickness d of the core 6 can essentially correspond to the thickness D,particularly in the case that no additional noise-protection material isused and if the tread surface layer is only fractions of a millimetrethick. The thicknesses d1 and d2 can therefore be ½ D, wherebypreferably, however, the core layer 6 a has a thickness that is lessthan that of the core layer 6 b. Preferably the thickness d1 of the corelayer 6 a is 3 to 6 mm, preferably 5 mm, while the thickness d2 of thesecond core layer 6 b is 6 to 10 mm, preferably 8 mm.

The two core layers 6 a, 6 b are arranged so that they lie directly oneon the other and are connected together with the help of an adhesive 7.The connection is preferably made across the entire surface, i.e.,across the entire surfaces of the core layers 6 a, 6 b, whereby thesesurfaces face each other. In the depicted embodiment, the adhesive 7 isshown as a layer, but it is also possible to apply the adhesive sothinly that it only fills in the uneven areas in the opposing surfacesof the core layers 6 a, 6 b. The adhesive 7 should be elastic and shouldpreferably be more elastic than the material of the two core layers 6 a,6 b. A number of adhesives that are suitable for connecting surfacesmade of wood or wood materials are suitable for use as the adhesive 7.These are, for example, hot-melt adhesives such as are used, forexample, for gluing veneers, dispersion adhesives or solvent adhesives(e.g., casein glue), contact adhesives such as are used, for example,for particle boards or hardboards, glues such as, for example, joiner'sglue such as is conventionally used for wooden joints, or reactiveadhesives, e.g., multi-component adhesives based on epoxy resin, or UF(urea-formaldehyde) resin, MF (melamine formaldehyde) resin, PF (phenolformaldehyde) resin or RF (resorcinol formaldehyde) resin. The adhesive7 can, however, also be applied more thickly, as would be necessary forpurely connecting purposes. It has, however, turned out that theadhesive 7 is capable of insulating the two core layers 6 a, 6 b withrespect to noise propagation.

The core 6, particularly the second core layer 6 b, can lie freedownwards, but can however instead also be provided with a conventionalcompensation layer 8 and/or with a noise-insulation layer 9 ofconventional development. The compensation layer 8 and/or thenoise-insulation layer 9 are attached to the core 6 with the help ofconventional measures, e.g., by means of compressing.

As particularly FIG. 1 shows, the elements 3 a, 3 b are provided in thatcore layer that is not provided with the tread surface layer 4, i.e., inthe second core layer 6 b. In this way, effective decoupling withrespect to noise propagation is created between the tread surface layerand an adjacent panel. The elements can, however, also be provided inboth core layers 6 a, 6 b and/or in an additional layer, e.g., thecompensation layer 8 or the like.

The floor panel 1 according to the invention is preferably manufacturedby first manufacturing two subpanels 10 a and 10 b. In particular, thefirst subpanel 10 a is assembled from the first core layer 6 a, whichhas the shape of an essentially rectangular, board-like panel, whoseouter dimensions along the opposing sides correspond to the outerdimensions of the floor panel in the laminate of the floor after it hasbeen laid. The first subpanel 10 a furthermore contains the treadsurface layer 4, possibly the conventional noise-insulation layer 5 thatsupports the tread surface layer 4 and possibly even more layers thatare assigned to the tread surface layer. The peripheral surfaces 11 ofthe first subpanel 10 a are preferably flat and preferably extend at aright angle to the tread surface layer 4.

The second subpanel 10 b contains the second core layer 6 b, which islikewise formed as a longish rectangular, board-like panel, but which islarger than the first core layer 6 a by the dimensions of one of theelements 3 a, 3 b. The lateral surfaces or peripheral surfaces 12 of thesecond core layer 6 b are provided with the elements 3 a, 3 b of theconnector device 3 in the customary manner. In the depicted embodiment,the elements 3 a, 3 b are worked from the material of the second corelayer 6 b; preferably they are milled out.

Furthermore, the second core layer 6 b possibly holds the layer 9 madeof noise-insulation material, which is connected to the core layer 6 bvia the preferably present compensation layer 8. Both subpanels 10 a, 10b are then connected to each other via the noise-insulating adhesive 7.

The subpanels 10 a, 10 b can also be derived from conventionalindividual panels. In this case, only the tread surface layer of thesecond subpanel 10 b is replaced by the first subpanel 10 a, and thefirst subpanel 10 a is given a lower surface that can be glued.

In modification of the described and drawn embodiments, it is alsopossible to provide more than two core layers that are connected to eachother by more than a layer of adhesive, whereby all of these interfacesand adhesive layers can serve as impact noise insulation.

1. A floor panel with a surface layer, a core containing at least twocore layers made of a wood material and connectors arranged on at leasttwo opposing sides wherein the core layers are arranged so that they liedirectly one on the other and are glued to each other.
 2. A floor panelin accordance with claim 1, wherein the connectors are arranged on oneof the core layers.
 3. A floor panel in accordance with claim 2, whereinthe connectors are arranged on a core layer that is not provided withthe surface layer.
 4. A floor panel in accordance with claim 3 whereinthe panel comprises subpanels that are glued together, wherein onesubpanel is provided with the surface layer and at least one subpanel isprovided with the connectors.
 5. A floor panel in accordance with claim4, wherein the panel is comprised of a layer made of noise-insulatingmaterial.
 6. A floor panel in accordance with claims 5, wherein theconnectors allow for mechanical interlocking of adjacent panels and areformed by bending away and/or snapping in place in a generallyhorizontal direction for producing an interlock both in a verticaldirection and in a horizontal direction.
 7. A floor panel in accordancewith claim 6, wherein the panel comprises two pairs of opposing sides,and connectors are provided on both pairs.
 8. A floor panel inaccordance with claim 7, wherein the core layers are connected at leastin part by an adhesive that is more elastic than the wood material ofthe core layers.
 9. A floor panel in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe connectors are arranged on a core layer that is not provided withthe surface layer.
 10. A floor panel in accordance with claim 1, whereinthe panel comprises subpanels that are glued together, wherein onesubpanel is provided with the surface layer and at least one subpanel isprovided with the connectors.
 11. A floor panel in accordance with claim1, wherein the panel comprises a layer made of noise-insulatingmaterial.
 12. A floor panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein theconnectors allow for mechanical interlocking of adjacent panels and areformed by means of bending away and/or snapping in place in a generallyhorizontal direction for producing an interlock both in a verticaldirection and in a horizontal direction.
 13. A floor panel in accordancewith claim 1, wherein the panel comprises two pairs of opposing sides,and connectors are provided on both pairs.
 14. A floor panel inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the core layers are connected at leastin part by an adhesive that is more elastic than the wood material ofthe core layers.
 15. A floor panel comprised of a surface layer, a corecomprised of at least two layers, at least two of said core layers beingmade of a wood material, a connector on each of at least two opposingsides of said panel, adjacent ones of said core layers being glued toeach other.
 16. A floor panel in accordance with claim 15 wherein, thenumber of core layers made of wood is two, and the connectors aredisposed on a core layer other than a core layer adjacent to the surfacelayer, said panel including at least one core layer made ofnoise-insulating material.
 17. A floor panel comprised of a surfacelayer, a core comprised of at least two layers, at least two of saidcore layers being made of a wood material, a connector on each of atleast two opposing sides of said panel, adjacent ones of said corelayers being glued to each other, the number of core layers made of woodis two, and the connectors are disposed on a core layer other than acore layer adjacent to the surface layer, said panel including at leastone core layer made of noise-insulating material, and at least two ofsaid core layers being connected at least in part by an adhesive that isboth noise-insulating and more elastic than said wood material.